Solar Impulse Foundation Urges Economic Recovery Protecting the Environment

ARLINGTON, Va., April 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As COVID-19 continues to create economic uncertainty, the Solar Impulse Foundation urges recovery focused on environmental protection.

"The 50^th Anniversary of Earth Day is our wake-up call," says Bertrand Piccard, founder of the not-for-profit Solar Impulse Foundation. Piccard is a doctor, explorer, environmental advocate and pilot who proved the capabilities of innovation by flying around the world in a solar powered plane without using a drop of fuel. "That flight aboard Solar Impulse took cleantech innovation to new heights, literally, and proved that much of the technology we need to build a clean future is already here. We flew day and night around the world, across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in a solar powered airplane using absolutely no fossil fuel, so we know that clean solutions are possible for cars, heating and cooling systems, computers and so forth," Piccard added.

Piccard's mission now is to fast-track the 1000 Profitable Solutions portfolio that supports a circular economy in accordance with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. He travels the world sharing the growing portfolio with government leaders, policy makers, finance executives, innovators and climate skeptics. The portfolio currently includes 419 solutions, with 25 from the United States, all third-party validated for both profitability and environmental protection.

Innovators are encouraged to submit their solutions. If accepted, they receive help with business development, networking, and introductions to investors at no cost, thanks to corporate partners who support a sustainable future.

"Scalable growth in infrastructure, construction, energy, automotive and agricultural industries provide profitable investment and job opportunities while protecting the environment. It's the only approach that is logical both economically and ecologically," says Piccard.

"The best approach toward economic recovery is to modernize the energy and infrastructure system; that doesn't mean we have to shut down the oil companies. It's not an either/or proposition, but we can't accept a short-term solution based on greed. We have to prioritize job creation that leads to a better quality of life for ourselves and our families today, and our children's families down the line," says Piccard. "We must move in the right direction."

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was born as the result of the first Earth Day protest on April 22, 1970, when 20 million Americans (10 percent of that year's U.S. population) demanded a new way forward for our planet. On Earth Day, 2016 the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change was signed by 195 countries recognizing the need for climate action.

On the 50^th Anniversary of Earth Day, occurring amid a global health pandemic and on the edge of the next American recession, the Solar Impulse Foundation urges economic recovery through renewed commitment to environmental protection backed by technology and innovation to create jobs and profits for a clean future. Innovators interested in submitting a solution to the Efficient Solutions portfolio can visit solarimpulse.com/innovators. There is no cost to submit.

About Bertrand Piccard and the Solar Impulse Foundation

Bertrand Piccard is chairman and founder of the Solar Impulse Foundation. He advocates that environmental protection holds great economic market opportunity, and speaks out against the absurdity of outdated and polluting devices and systems still in use today. A medical doctor with a specialty in psychiatry, Piccard understands that people don't easily change their habits; solutions have to take into account a reluctance to reach beyond the status quo. The Solar Impulse Foundation is a not-for-profit organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, with a US office in Arlington, VA. 

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SOURCE Solar Impulse Foundation